Right of Way: Practice Questions & Explanations

At a T-intersection, the road that does not terminate is the 'through' road, and traffic on it has the right of way. The driver on the road that ends at the intersection must yield to all traffic on the through road before turning. This rule applies whether the terminating road has a stop sign (which most do) or not. A yield sign on the terminating road requires only that you slow, look, and proceed when safe; a stop sign requires a complete stop first. Even without any sign on the terminating road, the through-road traffic still has priority in most state laws — though this is rare in practice because such intersections almost always have signs.

Entering an Interstate is the responsibility of the merging driver, not the Interstate traffic. Use the on-ramp's acceleration lane (also called the 'merge lane') to bring your speed up to match prevailing Interstate traffic — usually 60-70 mph. Signal early, check mirrors and blind spots, find a safe gap, and merge smoothly. Stopping at the end of an on-ramp is dangerous: you must then accelerate from zero into fast-moving traffic, which is much harder and more likely to cause a collision. Interstate traffic has the right of way and is not required to slow for you. If the merge lane is too short to reach Interstate speed, drive as fast as safely possible and wait for a clear gap.

An undivided road, regardless of how many lanes it has, requires all traffic in both directions to stop for a stopped school bus with red lights flashing and stop arm extended. The principle: without a physical median to separate directions, students may need to cross all lanes to reach their destination after exiting the bus or to reach the bus before boarding. Some drivers mistakenly believe that more lanes means safer to pass — this is wrong and dangerous. The rule changes only when the road is physically divided (median, barrier, separation). Always stop and wait until the red lights stop flashing and the stop arm retracts.

At an uncontrolled intersection (no stop, yield, or signal), the basic rules are: the driver who arrives first has the right of way; if two vehicles arrive simultaneously, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right; if a driver is making a left turn while another is going straight or turning right, the left-turning driver yields. Uncontrolled intersections are common in residential areas and rural roads. Always slow down, look both ways, and proceed only when clearly safe — do not rely on the other driver to know the rules. Right-of-way rules tell you who must yield; they do not require the priority driver to enter the intersection if doing so would cause a crash.

4-WAY STOP TIE-BREAKER — YIELD TO THE RIGHT: When vehicles arrive simultaneously at a 4-way stop, the driver on the LEFT must yield to the driver on the RIGHT. Visualise: North-facing driver looks to their right and sees the east-facing driver — they yield. East-facing driver looks to their right and sees no one coming from the south — they can proceed. The confusion: 'right' means the driver's physical right as they sit in their vehicle facing the intersection — not geographic direction.

Remember: At 4-way stops, the vehicle with the most people on its RIGHT side must wait the longest. After stopping, proceed in the correct order: first to arrive goes first; simultaneous = right before left; if three arrive simultaneously, the two who face each other often proceed, and the one on the left of both yields.

Pedestrian right-of-way: Pedestrians have right-of-way in crosswalks — both MARKED (painted stripes) and UNMARKED (the implied crosswalk that exists at every intersection regardless of paint).

Driver must yield: When a pedestrian is in a crosswalk; when a pedestrian is about to enter — many states require yielding to a pedestrian who has stepped off the curb to cross; when turning on any colour light if pedestrians are present in your path.

Anti-blockade rule: Never stop your vehicle in a crosswalk — a pedestrian must be able to cross without stepping around your car.

Never pass: Never pass a vehicle that has stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk — the stopped vehicle is blocking your view of the pedestrian; this is a common cause of pedestrian fatalities.

Four-way stop tie-breaking: When two vehicles arrive SIMULTANEOUSLY, the vehicle on the RIGHT has the right of way over the vehicle on the LEFT.

But: This rule applies between vehicles going the same direction of travel or both going straight.

The turn rule overrides: A vehicle turning left must ALWAYS yield to oncoming straight-through traffic — regardless of right-of-way tie-breaking. In this scenario: Vehicle A is going straight and has priority over Vehicle B who is turning left. Vehicle B being to Vehicle A's right doesn't override Vehicle B's obligation to yield as a left-turning vehicle.

The hierarchy: Turn left = yield to straight through. Going straight = yield to vehicle on your right (tie situations).

RIGHT TURN ON RED (RTOR):

General rule: In the US, right turns on red are permitted after a complete stop, yielding to pedestrians and cross traffic, EXCEPT when prohibited by a sign or pavement marking.

No turn on red sign: Located at intersections where RTOR is prohibited — often due to pedestrian safety concerns, visibility problems, or traffic volume.

Driver obligation: When this sign is present, treat the red light the same as a solid red — wait for the green before turning.

Locations: Common at pedestrian-heavy intersections, school zones, complex intersections; some cities (New York City) prohibit RTOR at all intersections unless otherwise marked.

Left turn on red: Permitted from a one-way street turning onto another one-way street in many states (after stop, yield to cross traffic); prohibited in others — check your state's specific rules.

Yield to emergency vehicles: All states require: PULL TO THE RIGHT side of the road; STOP as far from the travel lane as safely possible; REMAIN STOPPED until the emergency vehicle has passed and it is safe to resume; NEVER BLOCK AN INTERSECTION — if approaching an intersection and an emergency vehicle is coming, clear the intersection first (safely) then pull over; the worst position is stopped IN an intersection.

Multiple emergency vehicles: After one passes, expect more — they often travel in groups; wait until safe to re-enter traffic.

Move over law: Separate from this, most states require moving over a lane away from stopped emergency vehicles on the roadside (not just passing one that is moving) — this protects responders who may exit vehicles.

Failure to yield: Traffic violation in all states; can result in accidents and serious liability.

At a FOUR-WAY STOP, when two vehicles arrive at the SAME TIME, the vehicle on the RIGHT has the right-of-way (yield to the driver on your right). DMV/permit rules of the road.

General four-way stop rules: (1) the first vehicle to arrive and come to a complete stop goes first; (2) if two arrive at the same time, the one on the RIGHT goes first; (3) if facing each other, a driver going straight or turning right generally goes before one turning left. When in doubt, yield and proceed cautiously. Knowing the 'yield to the right' rule for simultaneous arrival at a four-way stop is commonly tested.

At an uncontrolled intersection — one with no traffic signals or signs — drivers must use the basic right-of-way rules and proceed with great caution. When two vehicles reach the intersection at about the same time, the general rule is that the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right. Drivers should slow down, be ready to stop, and never assume the other driver will yield. Pedestrians always have priority. Because uncontrolled intersections rely on courtesy and the yield-to-the-right rule rather than signals, extra caution is essential. This right-of-way rule is commonly tested.

Pedestrians generally have the right of way at crosswalks, whether marked with painted lines or unmarked (such as at an intersection without paint). Drivers must yield to pedestrians who are crossing or about to cross, slowing or stopping as needed to let them pass safely. This is especially important near schools, in business districts, and wherever foot traffic is common. Even where a pedestrian crosses improperly, drivers must try to avoid hitting them. Yielding to pedestrians at crosswalks protects the most vulnerable road users and is a core right-of-way rule of the road.

At a roundabout, traffic already circulating inside has the right of way, and drivers entering must yield, waiting for a safe gap before merging into the circular flow. Vehicles travel counterclockwise around the central island (in right-hand-traffic countries), and drivers should signal when exiting. Slow down on approach, watch for pedestrians and cyclists, yield to circulating traffic, then enter and proceed to your exit. Roundabouts reduce severe collisions by lowering speeds and eliminating crossing traffic, but only work if entering drivers yield properly. Knowing to yield to circulating traffic is the key right-of-way rule for roundabouts.